MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE:
STORYBOOK PLAYHOUSE 2: PACKAGE 2 {BABAR THE
LITTLE ELEPHANT; HORTON HEARS A WHO; DOCTOR DE
SOTO}
Summary
Prepared for The Museum of Television & Radio screening series "Storybook Playhouse," this compilation of animated stories features works based upon the writings of Jean de Brunhoff, Dr. Seuss, and William Steig. "Babar the Little Elephant" tells the story of a young elephant, Babar, who flees his home in the forest after seeing his mother killed by a hunter. He comes upon a town and is amazed by everything he sees there. An old lady who loves elephants takes Babar shopping for clothes, discovers that he is educated, and allows him to stay with her. One day his cousins arrive after running away from home, and Babar decides to return to the forest with them. When he arrives, he is asked to be the elephants' king. Babar accepts the position and informs his fellow elephants that he plans to marry his cousin, Celeste. After the wedding and coronation, the elephants start to build a town, which makes the rhinos of the forest angry. They storm the newly built city and destroy it. Knowing that the rhinos will continue to sabotage their efforts towards modernization, Babar comes up with a plan to scare the rhinos away for good. "Horton Hears a Who" tells the tale of a kind elephant, Horton, who hears a cry for help coming from a speck of dust that is about to drop into a waterfall. Horton saves the speck of dust and places it on a clover. He learns that the voice he heard belongs to a doctor, who explains that there is a whole world of people called Whos existing within the speck of dust. Meanwhile, a kangaroo, Jane, thinks Horton has gone mad when she sees him talking to the clover. She cannot hear the small voice coming from it because her ears are not as sharp as Horton's. At first, Jane tries to rid Horton of his imaginary friend by having the clover buried amongst millions of others with the assumption that Horton will never find it again. This effort fails when Horton persistently searches and reunites himself with the tiny world of Whos. Jane then decides that she will boil the speck of dust and destroy Horton's fantasy world. The Whos realize that they must make themselves heard or else they will perish. In the final animated piece, "Doctor De Soto," a mouse dentist, allows a fox to enter his office, breaking his rule of not treating animals who are dangerous to his existence. Dr. De Soto and his assistant discover that the fox needs to have a tooth removed. While under the influence of an anesthetic, the fox reveals how much he loves to eat mice. After he pulls the tooth, Dr. De Soto tells his new patient that he wil have to return the next day for a replacement tooth. The fox leaves and ponders whether or not it would be rude to eat the mice after they have completed their work, while the mice devise a plan to protect themselves in case the fox decides to attack.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 1:02:08
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:32641
- GENRE: Children's; Animation; Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children's programs
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Babar the Little Elephant"
- Bill Melendez … Director, Producer
- Ed Levitt … Director
- Lee Mendelson … Producer
- de Brunhoff, Jean … Writer, Based on a story by
- de Brunhoff, Laurent … Writer, Based on a story by
- John Scott Trotter … Composer, Conductor
- Tom Adair … Music (Misc. Credits), Lyrics by
- Peter Ustinov … Narrator, Voice
- Lulie Jean Norman … Cast, Celesteville Singer, Voice
- Sally Stevens … Cast, Celesteville Singer, Voice
- B.J. Baker … Cast, Celesteville Singer, Voice
- Gene Merlino … Cast, Celesteville Singer, Voice
- Bob Tebow … Cast, Celesteville Singer, Voice
- For "Horton Hears a Who":
- Chuck Jones … Producer, Director
- Ted Geisel … Producer
- Ben Washam … Co-Director, Animation
- Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) … Writer, Teleplay by, Music (Misc. Credits), Lyrics by
- Eugene Poddany … Music by
- Phil Roman … Animation
- Dick Thompson … Animation
- Tom Ray … Animation
- Irv Spence … Animation
- Hal Ambro … Animation
- Carl Bell … Animation
- George Nicholas … Animation
- Philip Deguard … Backgrounds
- Irv Wyner … Backgrounds
- Angel Esparza … Backgrounds
- Hans Conried … Narrator
- Chuck Jones … Voice
- June Foray … Voice
- For "Doctor De Soto":
- Morton Schindel … Producer
- Paul Gagne … Associate Producer
- Michael Sporn … Director, Animation
- William Steig … Writer, Based on the book by
- Ernest Troost … Music by
- F Stop Studio … Animation Photography by
- Gary Becker … Animation Photography by
- Robert Marianetti … Artist
- Sophie Kittredge … Artist
- Kathryn Gradner … Artist
- Steven Dovas … Artist
- B. Jacobson … Backgrounds by